#"chr

Chapter Two: In the Blink of an Eye

The van moved through the city, weaving between light traffic. Chris sat in the back, just behind YN’s seat, his gaze often drifting to her reflection in the side-view mirror. Her hands rested lightly on her lap, headphones looped securely around her right bicep, her notebook now tucked safely in her bag. She tilted her head slightly, eyes tracing the city as if memorising its details, each street, each curve of a building that was not part of her childhood. Every so often, she flinched at a sudden horn or the glare of passing headlights, and Chris found himself instinctively watching, his attention drawn to the smallest movement.

The others in the car were talking, quiet jokes, laughter bouncing between seats, but there was a pocket of stillness around YN, and Chris felt it like a presence. He caught himself leaning slightly forward, trying to see the city as she did without intruding.

“So, how do you like it so far?” he said finally, his voice low, careful not to startle her.

She nodded, as if agreeing with herself, a small smile brushing her lips. “It’s… similar to what I expected? I mean, I’ve seen pictures and stuff, but it’s still completely different from the city life I’m used to.”

The corner of Chris’s mouth lifted. “I hope that’s a good kind of difference.”

Her smile lingered, and for a moment he imagined the rest of the night unfolding like this, quiet, contained, normal.

The manager slowed the car near a particularly sweeping view of the Han River, parking at a small overlook. “In honour of YN, we get to see this glorious view of the Han River tonight,” he said awkwardly, letting himself out and then ushering the others out. The group filed out, the cool night air brushing over their shoulders.

Chris, although pleasantly surprised, felt that it was unlike their manager to do such a thing. They could easily be spotted by fans, especially with some of the members in such a vulnerable state, but he convinced himself it was for YN’s sake and that there was nothing to worry about.

The ground was frosty and a little slippery, which could get dangerous despite the railing. Chris found himself walking instinctively a little closer to YN, as if preparing to catch her if she slipped and fell.

YN lingered near the railing, taking in the river’s reflection under the lights. “It’s… beautiful,” she said softly, still absorbing the unfamiliar cityscape. “That’s something the pictures couldn’t have prepared me for…”

Chris found it mesmerising how she found beauty in a river he had long grown used to, one he hardly ever really looked at anymore.

After around five minutes, the members, mostly Hyunjin and Lee Know, started whining about the cold and demanded they get back into the vans, to which everyone complied, penguin shuffling back into the vehicles.

YN reclaimed her front seat again and buckled up just as the manager got back into the car, leaning in headfirst and laughing. “Oh YN, so exemplary of you. You even buckled up already, haha.”

YN smiled back, but then caught a whiff of alcohol. She asked softly, “Have you had a drink at the gathering, Manager-nim?”

“No, not at all. The smell is just from the party. Good old Han spilled his soju on me, as usual. Haha.”

Han, from the back seat, already half asleep, mumbled, “Did I?”

YN felt an unsettling knot deep in her stomach but ignored it when no one else said anything. Chris was not in the car yet, so he did not hear the exchange, but he did not miss the uncomfortable expression on YN’s face. “Everything alright?”

Before she could answer, the manager cut in. “She’s just such a mom, making sure everyone is safe, haha,” he chuckled as he buckled himself in.

The conversation was in Korean, so YN did not understand every word. She simply assumed he brushed Chris off the same way he had brushed her off, which was true.

The van resumed its route, this time a little speedier than before.

“You’re going a bit fast,” YN said, her voice tight but polite. “I’d rather just have a calm tour and take in the scenery.” She found herself in an unwelcome, familiar situation.

Their manager chuckled. “Relax. I’ve driven these streets a thousand times. Let me show you some speed. It’ll be just as fun as the scenery.”

The band members exchanged uneasy looks. Some tensed, some stayed silent, some were half asleep and drooling. They knew him. He liked to show off occasionally, but it had never caused unease before.

Chris cut in. “Hey, maybe you should let me drive?” He was catching on to the possibility that their manager had in fact had a few drinks but would not admit it.

“Nah, kid. Just relax and enjoy. You work hard as it is,” the driver replied, keeping his foot on the gas.

The manager floored it, and the car surged forward. YN flinched, gripping her seatbelt tightly, her lips pressed together. The manager slowed a little at her reaction, then sped up again once she eased, weaving through traffic with liquid-boosted confidence, while Chris tried to talk some sense into him, adrenaline buzzing through his body.

Then suddenly, a red light.

The manager did not stop. His reaction time was too affected to register the light or the screeching sound that came shortly after. The impact came from YN’s side, slightly scraping Chris’s door. The sound of metal crunching was deafening. The car spun violently, pivoting once, twice, before finally coming to a disoriented halt.

Then it was silent.

Chris was thrown sideways, bracing himself against YN’s seat in front of him. He heard the screams of the members around him before the car fully stopped. The manager clutched his head. “Oh my god. Is everyone okay?”

Some members groaned in pain, but they all seemed conscious. The traffic noise rushed back in, snapping everyone to their senses. Chris looked around, checking for visible injuries, checking himself as well, and then it hit him. He could not sense YN’s quiet presence.

YN was not moving, her head slumped slightly forward, her body still restrained by the seatbelt.

Chris forced his door open with a hard push and rushed to the front to check on her. What he saw made his stomach drop.

A metal bar had struck her, breaking through her right arm, smashing her headphones in the process, and piercing her body at an oblique angle from her upper right torso to her lower left side. Blood appeared quickly, her lips parting in a soundless gasp.

Chris looked to his left and saw Han stumbling up behind him. “Jisung, call 112, now!”

Han was suddenly not drunk anymore as he pulled out his thankfully unharmed phone and dialled emergency services.

Chris’s world narrowed. He tried opening her door, but it was dented shut. He scrambled forward through the window, his heart pounding, hands hovering over YN. “YN. Hey. Look at me. Stay awake. You’re going to be okay. You hear me? You’re going to be okay.”

Her eyes fluttered open for a brief moment. She coughed, spitting blood, then looked at Chris with half-lidded eyes.

“YN. Stay with me. Look at me. Don’t close your eyes.”

She coughed again, blood dripping down her lips and chin. She looked at him like she wanted to say something, opened her mouth without a sound, and then slipped into unconsciousness.

Around them, members from the other van were shouting, trying to make sense of the chaos, checking on each other, while the other manager made sure emergency services knew their exact location.

In the midst of it all, all that existed to Chris was her. Her shallow breaths, her chest rising unevenly against the seatbelt, the warm red bleeding from her body and staining her clothes.

He gently slapped her cheek, his voice breaking. “Open your eyes, YN. Stay awake. I’m right here. I’m right here.”

His pulse hammered. “Please open your eyes. Don’t go to sleep.” All that mattered to him was keeping her conscious. He knew it was important to keep the injured awake and aware, but his efforts were to no avail.

“Stay awake,” he whispered desperately, slapping her cheek again, careful not to drive the bar deeper into her chest. His hands stayed steady even as his heart raced. “You’re going to be okay. You hear me? You’re going to be okay.”

He could not believe it. He had not expected this quiet night to turn catastrophic in the blink of an eye.